"I will do my best, if you
wish it. But--"
"Yes? Go on."
She still hesitated. Mrs. Gallilee tried gentle remonstrance. "My
child, surely you are not afraid of me?"
She was certainly afraid. But she controlled herself.
"You are Ovid's mother, and I am only his cousin," she resumed. "I
don't like to hear you say that my influence over him is greater than
yours."
It was far from the poor girl's intention; but there was an implied
rebuke in this. In her present state of irritation, Mrs. Gallilee felt
it.
"Come! come!" she said. "Don't affect to be ignorant, my dear, of what
you know perfectly well."
Carmina lifted her head. For the first time in the experience of the
two elder women, this gentle creature showed that she could resent an
insult. The fine spirit that was in her fired her eyes, and fixed them
firmly on her aunt.
"Do you accuse me of deceit?" she asked.
"Let us call it false modesty," Mrs. Gallilee retorted.
Carmina rose without another word--and walked out of the room.
In the extremity of her surprise, Mrs. Gallilee appealed to Miss
Minerva. "Is she in a passion?"
"She didn't bang the door," the governess quietly remarked.
"I am not joking, Miss Minerva."
"I am not joking either, madam."
The tone of that answer implied an uncompromising assertion of
equality.
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